The Xerces Society - 100 Plants to Feed the Monarch: Create a Healthy Habitat to Sustain North Americas Most Beloved Butterfly

Growing up in Nebraska, I was fortunate to live in an area where monarchs showed up every spring and came back through on their way south every fall. They were among the biggest and most noticeable butterflies. As a kid, I loved to watch them flutter through, looking for milkweed or mates, or on their long migration to overwintering sites in Mexico. In a single day we sometimes saw thousands of monarchs fly past on their journey south.

If you grew up almost anywhere in the continental United States or southern Canada, you are probably familiar with these fascinating animals. Graceful and beautiful, monarchs stand out due to their large size and vivid orange-and-black coloring. They are often the only butterfly people can identify.

This book is designed to help you help the monarch butterfly. Look through the pages and see which milkweed host plants and which nectar plants are native in your area. Then pick the ones that will fit best in your space, plant and water themand you will have created a habitat for monarchs.

Of course, do not use pesticides, especially insecticides, as these kill monarchs and other beneficial insects. And make sure you tell your neighbors what you are doing and whywe need as many people as possible to take action. We are always heartened to hear the stories of entire neighborhoods getting involved; this truly gives us hope.

There is one last very important step. Sit in a comfortable chair with a favorite drink, enjoy your flower-filled landscape, and watch the monarchs and other butterflies add color to your life. You can feel excited to be part of the solution, saving the monarchs so they will be with us for years to come.

Scott Hoffman Black, Executive Director, The Xerces Society

Part I

One of the remarkable things about the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is that although it is a single species, it largely exists as two separate populations: one east of the Rocky Mountains, and one to the west. Individuals may periodically cross this Great Divide, but the majority of monarchs belong to distinct but equally epic dynasties, generations of mass-migrating relatives.

Smaller scattered populations of this species also exist elsewhere, yet the majority of monarchs on Earth occur within these two famous migrating populations. Both have compelling stories of persistence and resilience, and both face increasing challenges.

Ranging from the Great Plains and southern prairie provinces to the Atlantic coast, Eastern monarchs are renowned for migrating incredibly long distances to their overwintering sites in the oyamel fir (sacred fir) forests in the mountains west of Mexico City. In fact, during the fall migration, many monarchs fly more than 3,000 miles (some fly up to 4,000 miles!) to arrive among millions of others, seeking shelter in the mountain forest canopy from harsh weather.

The oyamel forest sites provide the perfect microclimate for monarchs: not so cold that the butterflies freeze and not so warm that they become active and burn too many calories, expending energy they will need for the trip north. This precise climate is vital, because the same monarch that migrated south will return as far north as Texas in the spring, seeking places to lay eggs.

Astonishingly, the animal making this journey weighs less than a penny. Imagine attempting this arduous trip, buffeted by thunderstorms, navigating vast stretches where the landscapes may be monocultures of corn or soybean or green lawn or concrete, looking for flowers to fuel your flight across the continent. It is truly an amazing feat.

Western monarchs make a slightly shorter but equally remarkable journeyone that traverses some of the most challenging landscapes in North America, including deserts, mountain ranges, and enormous agricultural lands virtually devoid of habitat.